Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop sleeve-type restraints and to compare the sleeve-type and conventional wrist restraints. Methods: Forty four pairs of intensive care unit (ICU) patients and their families participated in the experiment. The nurses applied sleeve-type restraints to the patients in the experimental group, and wrist restraints to the control group. The trained research assistant measured ROMs, skin temperature, edema, and skin lesions of both upper extremities (UEs) before, 24, 48, and 72 hours after the restraints applied. The emotional response of family was measured 72 hours after the restraints applied. Thirty one ICU nurses evaluated the efficiency of both types of restraints. Results: Compared to the control group, changes of ROMs, edema, and skin abrasions on both U/Es of the experimental group indicated a significant difference in physical side effects. The emotional response scores of the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group. The mean efficiency scores for the sleeve-type restraints were significantly higher than those for the wrist restraints. Conclusion: The results indicate that the sleeve-type restraints are better than wrist restraints with respect to physical side effects, emotional responses of family members, and application efficiency.